water Article The Influences of a Clay Lens on the Hyporheic Exchange in a Sand Dune Chengpeng Lu 1,* ID , Congcong Yao 1, Xiaoru Su 1, Yong Jiang 2, Feifei Yuan 1 ID and Maomei Wang 3 1 State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, Jiangsu, China;
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[email protected] (F.Y.) 2 Water Resources Service Center of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu, China;
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[email protected]; Tel.: +86-258-378-7683 Received: 4 April 2018; Accepted: 20 June 2018; Published: 22 June 2018 Abstract: A laboratory flume simulating a riverbed sand dune containing a low-permeability clay lens was constructed to investigate its influence on the quality and quantity of hyporheic exchange. By varying the depths and spatial locations of the clay lens, 24 scenarios and one blank control experiment were created. Dye tracers were applied to visualize patterns of hyporheic exchange and the extent of the hyporheic zone, while NaCl tracers were used to calculate hyporheic fluxes. The results revealed that the clay lens reduces hyporheic exchange and that the reduction depends on its spatial location. In general, the effect was stronger when the lens was in the center of the sand dune. The effect weakened when the lens was moved near the boundary of the sand dune. A change in horizontal location had a stronger influence on the extent of the hyporheic zone compared with a change in depth.